Definition Please... ?

Ive been at this for a few years... Im embarrassed to ask. Whats the difference between a refugium and a sump? Im upgrading to a 36 gallon bf , which is in its first week of cycling. I have a 10g glass tank that Id like to use as a ....sump ...or ....fuge. which is best?

 

A sump is another tank used to hold equipment (heaters, protein skimmers, media reactors, etc).

A refugium is a place to provide a refuge for natural foods to grow and breed without predation. Some people also place macroalgaes in them to absorb Nitrates, Phosphates, and Iron.

Some people have a large enough sump that they can add the refugium in the same tank so they have a sump/refugium combo.

 

Thanks inwall ... k+ for you! Thats precisly what I thought, I was just too embarrassed to ask up until now. I have an empty 10g glass Id like to use. Now I have to learn pumps and plumbing ...baffles and whatever else is involved in this. Thanks again for defining!

 

with the 10 gallon you will only have enough room to use it as a sump.. you could build an elevated fuge to the side of it, I did it in my 30 gallon build, and it worked amazingly well..

 

dont ever be embarrassed to ask anything here! i ask some of the dumbest questions here haha

 

Thanks Patrick, I appreciate your kindness! Thats a good idea bama. So your elevated fug is a hob to your sump ...or manually elevated? Then the pump in the sump would be pumped into the fuge, which takes it back to the aquarium?

 

heres what I did.. thats a 10 gallon sump btw

 

I gotcha ....looks confusing to me, not ever having learned about fuges and sumps. But I do see what youve generally done.

 

Sorry this is off topic....
Hey Bama....what kind of skimmer is that you have? I took one of those out of my tank not too long ago and cant find the name/model of it, I would like to sell it off! Thanks!

Back on Topic...Refugiums are great for reducing nitrates too if you put chaeto or mangroves in there!

 

That looks like a coralife super needle to me - but you can let Bama confirm for you

Refugiums reduce nitrates no matter what you plant in them